Method and System for Routing Calls Based on a Language Preference

1. A method for processing a call, the method comprising: receiving a call from a caller over a communication network; determining a telephone number of the caller; determining if the telephone number of the caller is a telephone number assigned to a specific individual; accessing an electronic database to determine a stored language preference of the specific individual when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to a specific individual, the specific individual's stored language preference being associated with the caller's telephone number in the electronic database; prompting the caller to select a language preference when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to a specific individual and the specific individual does not have a stored language preference, and storing the language preference selected by the caller based on the prompting in the electronic database; routing the call to a predetermined destination based on the stored language preference of the specific individual in the electronic database when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to the specific individual; routing the call to a first default destination when the telephone number of the caller is determined to not be assigned to a specific individual.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: routing the call to a second default destination when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to the specific individual, the electronic database does not include a stored language preference of the specific individual, and the caller does not select a language preference based on the prompting.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising: determining the first default destination based upon a geographical location of the telephone number of the caller.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first default destination is an automated interactive voice response unit that implements a default language based upon the geographical location of the telephone number of the caller.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second default destination is a call center that determines the language of the caller and responds to the caller in the language of the caller.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first default destination is an automated interactive voice response unit that implements a default language.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first default destination is an automated interactive voice response unit that prompts the caller to select a language preference for a current call by responding to one of a plurality voice prompts provided in different languages.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the automated interactive voice response unit further prompts the caller to designate an alternate language preference to be stored in the electronic database for selection in future calls.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined destination is an automated interactive voice response unit that implements a language associated with the stored language preference of the specific individual.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined destination is a call center having an operator that can converse with the caller in the stored alternate language preference of the specific individual.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a caller's stored language preference is entered into the electronic database by a caller using voice commands.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein a caller's stored language preference is entered into the electronic database by a caller using a dual tone multi frequency input.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein a caller's stored language preference is entered into the electronic database by a caller using a computer.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein a caller's stored language preference is entered into the electronic database by a customer service representative at a call center.

15. A server for processing a call, the server comprising: a receiver for receiving a call from a caller over a communication network; a processor for determining a telephone number of the caller, and for determining if the telephone number of the caller is a telephone number assigned to a specific individual, for prompting the caller to select a language preference when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to a specific individual and the specific individual does not have a stored language preference, and for storing the language preference selected by the caller based on the prompting; an electronic database that is accessed by the processor to determine the stored language preference of the specific individual when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to a specific individual, the specific individual's stored language preference being associated with the caller's telephone number in the electronic database; and a router for routing the call to a predetermined destination based on the stored language preference of the specific individual in the electronic database when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to the specific individual, and for routing the call to a first default destination when the telephone number of the caller is determined to not be assigned to a specific individual.

16. The server of claim 15 , wherein the router routes the call to a second default destination when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to the specific individual and the electronic database does not include a stored language preference of the specific individual.

17. The server of claim 15 , wherein the first predetermined destination is an automated interactive voice response unit that implements a language associated with the stored language preference of the specific individual.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with an executable computer program for processing a call, and that when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising: receiving a call from a caller over a communication network; determining a telephone number of the caller; determining if the telephone number of the caller is a telephone number assigned to a specific individual; accessing an electronic database to determine a stored language preference of the specific individual when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to a specific individual, the specific individual's stored language preference being associated with the caller's telephone number in the electronic database; prompting the caller to select a language preference when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to a specific individual and the specific individual does not have a stored language preference, and storing the language preference selected by the caller based on the prompting in the electronic database; routing the call to a predetermined destination based on the stored language preference of the specific individual in the electronic database when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to the specific individual; routing the call to a first default destination when the telephone number of the caller is determined to not be assigned to a specific individual.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , including operations further comprising: prompting the caller to designate an alternate language preference to be stored in the electronic database for selection in future calls.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the predetermined destination is a call center having an operator that can converse with the caller in a caller-selected one of the stored language preference of the specific individual and the alternate stored language preference of the specific individual.